Crowd control measures lofted by Park

Glacier National Park released five preliminary alternatives last week for managing and controlling visitors on the Going-to-the-Sun Road and nearby trails in the future.

The release follows record visitation in the past few years and increased crowds along the Sun Road corridor caused by vehicle traffic and the Park’s free shuttle system. Earlier studies showed increased numbers of visitors as a result of the shuttle system.

The Sun Road Corridor alternatives include:

• Alternative 1 calls for keeping the status quo.

• Alternative 2 calls for more infrastructure along the Sun Road, including more parking at Avalanche Creek and other locations. It also calls for increasing the shuttle system’s hours of operation and expanding its season of operation into the shoulder season. It also calls for widening and hardening heavily used trails, installing hand rails and adding restroom facilities to backcountry locations, including Hidden Lake Overlook, Preston Park and Haystack Butte.

• Alternative 3 calls for a timed entry or reservation system for private vehicles during the peak season, redesigning the east and west entrances, and expanding the shuttle system. Overnight parking would be prohibited, and parking duration would be limited at some locations. It also calls for day hiking permits on some trails and increasing biking opportunities by creating bike-only days on the Sun Road. It also calls for backcountry restrooms.

• Alternative 4 calls for discontinuing the shuttle system entirely and controlling traffic on the Sun Road through a timed entry or reservation system during the peak season. It also calls for more bicycling opportunities on the Sun Road but eliminates the need for additional development and other management of the Sun Road corridor.

• Alternative 5 calls for an adaptive management strategy as conditions change, such as increased crowds. The Park would try to use the least restrictive measures first. It also calls for expanding the shuttle service, with longer hours and additional shuttle loops, such as Apgar to Fish Creek. Overnight parking would be prohibited, and parking duration would be limited at some locations. It also calls for biking-only days and development of additional bike trails, day hiking permits on some trails and prohibiting over-length vehicles from traveling up the Sun Road past Apgar and Rising Sun. These measures only would go into effect during the peak season.

All five alternatives direct the Park to work with neighboring communities to come up with alternatives and solutions, and to make an effort to disperse crowds to other locations around Glacier Park.

None of the alternatives suggest charging riders for the shuttle service. The Park Service notes that some alternatives will be limited by Park budgets.

Public comments on the alternatives will be taken until June 5 and can be submitted online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/glac.

A draft environmental impact statement for the Sun Road corridor should be released this fall, with a final document in 2016 and a record of decision in early 2017 — the year that reconstruction of the Sun Road should be completed.